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The New (Micro) Leisure: Redefining Downtime in a Connected World

Leisure time used to be defined by long summer vacations and 5 o'clock happy hours. But in today's overscheduled, constantly connected, mobile-driven world, downtime has been downsized to moments of digital relief that can last a matter of seconds. Here's how brands can learn to navigate this new reality.

This report considers the notion
that our constant connectivity warrants a redeﬁnition of leisure time. We ﬁrst explore a surprising generational divide that exists between Millennials and their Gen-X counterparts. While the younger group grapples with the push and pull of technology, the older cohort is better able to rise above it. We discover a millennial relationship with connectivity that is fraught with contradictions, a love/hate relationship we call The Leisure Paradox. The result is an end to the classic 9-to-5 as we know it, replaced by The Millennial Grind, a new blended reality of work and play. Finally, we propose a new understanding of downtime: one that is rooted in bite-sized escapes and ephemeral relief. Welcome to the all new Micro-Leisure. FOR DECADES, MARKETERS HAVE FOUGHT TO OWN LEISURE TIME - THAT CELEBRATED CONSUMER MINDSET, BEHAVIOR, AND TIME OF DAY RESERVED FOR RELAXATION AND ENJOYMENT. BUT LEISURE AS WE KNOW IT IS RAPIDLY CHANGING, THREATENED BY OUR DAILY ONSLAUGHT OF TEXTS, EMAILS AND PUSH NOTIFICATIONS.

THE BIG THREE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
A series of discussion groups conducted through MRY #YouThink, MRY’s proprietary millennial audience research panel. LANDSCAPE AUDIT Review of recent media and academic coverage on the topic of millennial leisure behaviors, in addition to audit of emerging technologies, startups and media solutions in this space. FIRST-PARTY RESEARCH Online quantitative study run by Whitman Insight Strategies in December 2014; audience comprised of 820 full-time working smartphone owners aged 21-55.

THERE IS A CLEAR GENERATIONAL
DIFFERENCE IN HOW MILLENNIALS COPE WITH OUR NEW CONSTANTLY CONNECTED REALITY VERSUS GEN-XERS. AND IT’S NOT WHAT YOU’D EXPECT. Millennials’ constant state of distraction is causing nearly half of them to worry about spending too much time with their smartphones, compared with 32% of Gen-Xers. One would think these digital natives are better equipped to navigate our modern onslaught of swipes, beeps and buzzes, but the reality is quite the opposite. Their guilt and stress suggests a generational schism: a younger group grappling with the push and pull, and an older group better able to rise above it.

60% 39% 42% 34% Entertain
myself Make plans with friends & family MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN USE YOUR SMARTPHONE TO DOMILLENNIALS ARE MORE LIKELY TO USE THEIR SMARTPHONES FOR ENTERTAINMENT & SOCIALIZING THAN THEIR GEN-X COUNTERPARTS Gen X (35-55)Millennials (21-34)

Gen X (35-55)Millennials (21-34) 60%
48% I regularly check my phone for messages, alerts, or calls even though it didn’t ring or vibrate 53% 36% I rarely go more than 15 minutes without checking my smartphone 49% 30% Smartphones make it hard to focus on a singular task BUT THIS LEADS TO A STATE OF CONSTANT DISTRACTION. ONE THAT GEN-XERS ARE BETTER AT RESISTING. SMARTPHONE-INDUCED DISTRACTIONS

SMARTPHONE-INDUCED STRESSORS 48% 32% I
worry about spending too much time with my smartphone 47% 38% I feel pressure to respond immediately to friends when I receive a text or app message at work Gen X (35-55)Millennials (21-34) THE RESULT? MILLENNIALS FEEL GUILTY ABOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME WITH THEIR SMARTPHONES.

IMPACT OF SMARTPHONES ON LEISURE
TIME Gen X (35-55)Millennials (21-34) 60% 49% Smartphones enhance my leisure time a great deal or somewhat DESPITE ALL OF THESE STRESS- FACTORS, THEY STILL BELIEVE SMARTPHONES ENHANCE THEIR LEISURE TIME OVERALL

On the one hand, they
are increasingly concerned about the stress and unhappiness caused by connectivity: 47% feel the pressure to respond promptly to messages and 49% agree smartphones make it hard to focus on a singular task. WHILE MILLENNIALS RECOGNIZE THE CRUCIAL ROLE SMARTPHONES PLAY IN ENABLING LEISURE TIME, OUR FINDINGS INDICATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT IS FRAUGHT WITH CONTRADICTIONS.

ON THE OTHER HAND, they
overwhelmingly recognize the major beneﬁts of their smartphones on downtime - 66% agree that smartphones have greatly enhanced our leisure time by giving us more access to leisure activities. Brands seeking to deliver on leisure must be cognizant of the various tensions consumers are grappling with in order to adapt to today’s shifting deﬁnition of “downtime.”

TIME SUCK VS. TIME BOOST
Worry about spending too much time with their smartphone 48% Agree smartphones enhance our leisure time a great deal or somewhat60% Millennials express guilt over spending too much time with their phones, yet overwhelmingly view connectivity as an enhancer of their leisure time.

IN THE MOMENT VS. IN
THE FUTURE 48% Agree smartphones have made it easier to plan things they like to do in their leisure time 71% Despite their efforts to disconnect and be more “present,” millennials are always thinking about what’s next. Have tried implementing a “no phone at the dinner table” policy with friends & family

DISTRACTOR VS. ENHANCER 49% Agree
smartphones have greatly enhanced our leisure time by giving us more access to leisure activities 66% Millennials worry about their smartphones hindering their ability to focus, yet appreciate the more frequent leisure occasions their devices provide. Agree smartphones make it hard to focus on a singular task

ALWAYS WORKING VS. ALWAYS PLAYING
46% Agree smartphones provide a means to reduce stress during a busy work day 51% Smartphones may let work creep into playtime, but they also give millennials access to more frequent leisure occasions during work hours. Agree smartphones make it difficult to get away from work at home or on the weekends

SO WITH SO MUCH BLENDING
OF WORK AND PLAY, STRESS AND RELIEF, TURNING OFF AND PLANNING AHEAD, IS LEISURE TIME EXTINCT? Quite the contrary. With more frequent, bite-sized leisure occasions made possible by connected technology, leisure is more accessible than ever before. Here’s how brands can help navigate this new reality.

This traditional deﬁnition of leisure
is one that no longer applies to the new millennial reality of work and play. As the lines between personal and professional time increasingly blur, marketers must understand how to speak and engage with a millennial audience when making the promise of leisure and relaxation. THE GOLDEN HOUR WORK PLAY 10 11 12 198 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 105 117 THE GOLDEN HOURFOR YEARS, MARKETERS HAVE FOUGHT HARD TO OWN THE 5PM GOLDEN HOUR - THE CELEBRATED YEARNING FOR FREEDOM AND RELAXATION WE’VE COME TO KNOW AS THE END OF THE WORK DAY.

For millennials, the traditional 9–to–5
no longer exists. Rather, they are engaging in small bursts of leisure intermittently throughout the day, and engaging with work during their downtime. 10 11 12 198 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 105 11 MILLENNIAL GRIND 7 Welcome to the all NEW WORK PLAY

- and it’s more accessible
than ever before thanks to the tremendous impact of mobile technology on our busy lives. Better understanding of micro-leisure behaviors can help brands connect in a more meaningful and effective manner with a millennial audience. IT’S A NEW FORM OF RELIEF – AN ESCAPE THAT CAN BE OVER IN A MATTER OF SECONDS

KEY INFLECTION POINTS THROUGHOUT THE
DAY MARK KEY OPPORTUNITIES TO FACILITATE MICRO-LEISURE Sources: comScore Media Metrix, MRI, MRY #YouThink focus groups Preparing for the day and catching up on last night’s social feeds Entertainment during the workday commute and work creeping in Avoiding work and seeking mid-day escapes Making evening plans and thinking about heading out Boasting the fun on social media and comparing self to others 6–8am: THE MORNING STALK 8–10am THE AUDIO TUNE-OUT 12–2PM THE GIF SURGE 2–4PM THE GAME PLAN 5–8PM THE DRUNK SNAP 10PM–12AM THE COOL DOWN Relaxing before bed and seeking entertainment I deﬁnitely feel like it does remove me from my world[...] I’m deﬁnitely not aware of my surroundings If you’re trying to get work done and Facebook’s open, It’s like taking a cigarette break every 5 minutes It makes you think twice whether or not you should post, like, “I think this is cool but are other people going to think it’s cool? I usually do it in the evening before bed… when I feel like I should be reading or being constructive By 3:30pm, I’ve already stalked Infatuation to see where my grilled cheese is coming from...or hamburger ...or sushi There’s this nebulous 15 minutes in the morning to engage my brain that’s not actually starting my day… let’s look at some cats WEATHER, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, EMAIL APPS TWITTER, EMAIL, WHATSAPP, MAPS/GPS, RADIO (TERRESTRIAL & PANDORA, SPOTIFY) YOUTUBE, TUMBLR, SNAPCHAT, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK MESSAGING PLATFORMS (GCHAT), EMAIL, SMS, YELP SNAPCHAT, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, SMS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, NETFLIX, HULU

BITE-SIZE YOUR KEY MESSAGE It’s
no surprise that the miniaturization of leisure time marks the miniaturization of content. According to Pew Research Center, the majority (61%) of millennials report getting their political news from Facebook, compared with 37 percent who said they get it from local television. In order to keep up, publishers and marketers are adopting short-form as the format of choice for millennial audiences. This means brands must focus on communicating their key message in a matter of seconds.

Channel 4’s NewsWall brings Millennials
headlines from the news in GIF-able form. Should they want a longer read, users can click on the animated GIFs to access the long-form story. Snapchat’s Discover feature provides easily digestible daily content from publishers like CNN, Vice News, and ESPN. Users can now send clips directly to friends within the app. SOME EXAMPLES

SPEAK IN THE LANGUAGE OF
THE INTERNET #FTW Owning micro-leisure also means communicating authentically within these moments. Understanding the right “etiquette” within each channel is essential for brands looking to speak to Millennials in their own language. This means treading carefully, or risk being shamed on the infamous @BrandsSayingBae.

Millennials in the United States
who think pizza is bae can now order a fresh pie by tweeting the pizza emoji at the @dominos handle MRY’s recently launched podcast “Tuesdays with Toni” leans on its youngest strategists to brief marketers on the latest memes in the millennial landscape. SOME EXAMPLES

DESIGN FOR THE FINGER TAP
Brands should capitalize on emerging mobile ad formats designed to tell stories the way millennials are used to: with option to ﬂick, click, tap, etc. Two-dimensional banner ads won’t always cut it with Millennial audiences that expect mobile experiences to both entertain and seamlessly integrate into their native smartphone experiences.

NOTABLE EXAMPLES Apps like Snapchat,
Meerkat and Periscope are urging advertisers to frame their video ads vertically rather than the traditional widescreen format. Snapchat has reported up to nine times more completed views on vertical videos than their horizontal counterparts. Visa along with their partner Dunkin Donuts recently launched Get Stuff Dunkin, a smart media play that utilizes Joel McHale to distill the pop trends of the day into fun, digestible sound bites. The content contains subtitles to workaround Facebook’s auto-mute feature and motivate consumers to click for audio.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING What does
content look like for morning micro-leisure? Stuck-at-your-desk micro-leisure? Bathroom-time micro-leisure? Satisfying millennials’ micro-leisure ﬁx is all about timing. Brands who have mastered this cater their content to the context of the time of day in which they are posting or speaking to their audience.

SOME EXAMPLES Online food delivery
service Eat24 appropriately targets late-night cravings with food porn on Instagram. Equinox’s well-timed early morning workout posts intercept people while they’re mindlessly perusing their social feeds in bed, with the goal of inspiring them to head to the gym.

THANK YOU ABOUT MRY MRY
is a culture-fueled creative and technology agency headquartered in New York with additional offices in London, Seattle, and San Francisco. MRY is a Publicis Groupe agency. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME? As substantial as this deck is, there is even more research that wasn’t included here. We know that the most important takeaways are going to be the ones relevant to your business. If you’d like to discuss this report in more detail or how it relates to you, have questions about the research, or would like to dive deeper into any part of this, please reach out to us via the accompanying contacts, or through MRY’s site and channels.

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